Sengoku Notebook: Gomi Hints at Sabbatical

Back to Basics for Gomi

TOKYO -- It may be a year before the mixed martial arts world sees
Takanori
Gomi compete again. Once regarded as the world’s top
lightweight, consecutive losses -- the latest by submission to
Sengoku champion Satoru
Kitaoka on Sunday -- have “The Fireball Kid” recalibrating his
instruments.

“I would like to return to training the basics, maybe take half a
year or a year off and rebuild myself physically,” Gomi said.
“Then, I’d like to take on some foreign fighters and, of course,
Kitaoka. I started my own gym two years ago, and I’m happy that my
students are getting stronger, but it’s not exactly top-class
training with them. I’d like to get back to that top training.”

Kitaoka (24-8-9) was outspoken about his dislike for Gomi during
the run-up to their fight at Sengoku “No Ran 2009” at the Saitama
Super Arena in Saitama, Japan. He submitted the former Pride
Fighting Championships lightweight titleholder with an Achilles
lock in the first round. Kitaoka challenged Gomi (29-5, 1 NC) to a
rematch afterwards.

“I don’t regret my comments, but as the champion, I have to learn
how to act as a champion and still be myself,” Kitaoka said.
“[Sunday] night, I suddenly asked Gomi for a rematch. After hearing
his post-fight interview comments, I’m glad that he’s taking my
request seriously and that he praised me, despite how selfishly I
spoke about him.”

When asked about what the future held, Kitaoka reaffirmed his
interest in a second bout with Gomi, a man who holds two
double-digit winning streaks in his career.

“I was thinking about rematching him even before [Sunday] night’s
fight,” Kitaoka said. “In the Sengoku ring, Gomi would draw the
most people. As the champion, I want to help draw lots of
attention, so a rematch with Gomi would be the right fight for
me.”

Kitaoka finished Gomi in 1:41, handing the 30-year-old the quickest
defeat of his career. In finishing the match so decisively, Kitaoka
now has the opportunity to bask in the spotlight once enjoyed by
“The Fireball Kid.”

“I don’t think [I’m top 10], but I think I have the potential to
beat anyone,” Kitaoka said. “I’m a Pancrase fighter, and that’s my
pride. That’s enough for me. If the world recognizes that there’s
an event called Sengoku and that there’s a fighter named Kitaoka in
it, I’d be very happy.”

Daniel Herbertson/Sherdog.com

Jorge Santiago's road
has been a long one.

Santiago: ‘I made it’

American Top Team’s Jorge
Santiago, meanwhile, had trouble grasping the submission
victory over Kazuo Misaki
that made him Sengoku’s first middleweight champion at “No Ran
2009.”

“I’m so happy; I haven’t realized it yet,” Santiago said. “[Monday]
morning, I woke up and was, like, ‘Man, I made it.’ It was exactly
the way I dreamed.”

Santiago’s road has been a long one. After dropping two of three
fights in the UFC, the middleweight rebuilt himself outside the
Octagon. He won a Strikeforce middleweight tournament in 2007, only
to enter his name into another tournament -- the Sengoku
middleweight grand prix -- upon arriving in Japan.

“As soon as I landed here in Japan, I was, like, ‘Man, I want to
build something big in this place,’” Santiago said. “And right
after the tournament, I knew I was going to get this belt. I came
here with a lot of confidence. I’ve been through a lot of injuries
and everything, but I just got over it. I put my mind together and
fought with all my heart. [The title] means a lot to me.”

“After the Nakamura fight, I broke my hand for the third time,”
Santiago said as he raised his bandaged right hand. “When I came
here and fought Sasaki the first time, too, I broke it. I just
worked my jab [on Misaki] and was thinking, ‘I don’t care. I just
want that belt.’”